Holiday breaks can bring big smiles and big schedule changes. The shift in routine around Christmas and New Year sometimes makes it harder for kids to use the skills they have been practicing. The silver lining is that family traditions are perfect “natural environment” moments for generalization and maintenance. In Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), generalization means using a skill in new places and with new people, while maintenance means the skill keeps showing up over time after direct teaching fades. Practitioners emphasize planning for both because real-world change is the goal.
Below are five simple activities families already do in December and early January. Each one includes ABA ideas you can apply right away. Keep reinforcement positive and immediate at first, then gradually space it out so skills last. Thinning the reinforcement schedule during teaching often supports better maintenance later.
Cookie-baking sequencing
Baking holiday cookies offers a built-in task analysis. Break the recipe into two to five small steps and show each step with pictures. For example: wash hands, pour ingredients, stir, and scoop. Prompt from least to most help, so you start with a gentle gesture or point and only add more support if your child gets stuck. Reinforce after one or two steps at first with specific praise, high-fives, or a snack. As success grows, shift to reinforcement after three or four steps to help the behavior stand on its own. This kind of schedule thinning during instruction is linked to stronger responding later when reinforcement is less predictable. You are building maintenance while you bake.
Tree trimming or tabletop decorating
Many families trim a tree or arrange a tabletop display. Turn this into a gentle social-skills practice with turn taking and flexible play. Put a small set of ornaments or decorations in a bowl and alternate: “my turn,” “your turn.” Use simple visuals for turn taking, model gentle hands, and provide quick reinforcement when your child shares, waits, or asks for help. The next day, repeat in a new location, such as a different room or Grandma’s house, to encourage the skill to travel across settings. Teaching that appears in new places without retraining is exactly what ABA calls setting generalization. Involving siblings and relatives as “active supporters” also increases natural prompts and reinforcement, which strengthens generalization and maintenance.
Holiday card “post office”
Writing and sending thank-you cards or holiday notes can practice communication, fine motor, and finishing tasks. Set up three stations: sticker, stamp, address. Offer sentence starters or a choice board for what to say, or let your child dictate while you scribe. A small token board works well here. Give one token per completed card and exchange five tokens for a preferred activity. Token economies are a classic ABA tool that create clear reinforcement and help children understand what earns a reward. As your child succeeds, lengthen how many cards earn a token or how many tokens are needed for the bigger reward. Thinner and more intermittent reinforcement during practice supports better maintenance in everyday environments where praise and rewards are naturally less frequent.
Grocery helper for the holiday meal
A short trip for ingredients can support community skills, following a list, and requesting items. Start with a three-item picture list. In the store, use least-to-most prompting and celebrate each successful find. On the next trip, switch aisles or even stores to nudge setting generalization. If performance dips, prompt lightly, then fade help quickly. Generalization probes in research often look at whether a skill taught in one environment shows up in new settings with fewer supports. You can borrow that idea at home by planning a second “practice place” like a different market or the pharmacy. The aim is for the behavior to occur in novel settings without needing the entire teaching package again.
New Year’s countdown practice
The excitement and noise of New Year’s Eve can be a lot. Try mini count-downs earlier in the evening to practice coping routines. Use a visual timer, model wearing ear defenders, and rehearse a simple script like “I need a break” with a break card. Keep reinforcement immediate at first for a calm body, waiting, or using the script. Then space reinforcement gradually, shifting from every rehearsal to every second or third rehearsal. Thin, unpredictable reinforcement during practice tends to produce longer-lasting responding when reinforcement is not guaranteed in the moment. Many families find that a few short, positive rehearsals make the midnight transition smoother or help them choose a comfortable “early midnight” that still feels festive.
Why these holiday activities help
Each activity targets socially significant goals in the places and moments where your child uses them most. ABA emphasizes choosing targets that will contact natural reinforcement in daily life, like praise from family, the joy of seeing lights, or the taste of the first cookie out of the oven. Skills are more likely to stick when the environment itself rewards them. Involving significant others is also key. Grandparents, siblings, and cousins can be “active supporters” who set up opportunities, give brief cues, and deliver praise. Their participation helps skills become part of normal routines instead of something that only happens in therapy sessions.
A good rule of thumb is to keep tasks short, make steps visible, prompt just enough to succeed, and reinforce generously at first. As your child is successful, change the people, places, or materials to encourage generalization, and thin the reinforcement so the skill does not depend on constant rewards. That combination supports both generalization and maintenance, the two pillars of durable behavior change that ABA has prioritized since its earliest definitions.
Gentle guardrails for the holidays
Choose goals that are meaningful to your child and your family, and honor your child’s signals. If an event feels overwhelming, shorten the activity, adjust the sensory load, or skip it. ABA values socially significant outcomes and consent. Your child’s well-being comes first, and joyful connection is always the main event.
You are doing a wonderful job. Even a few minutes of playful practice during cookies, cards, shopping, decorating, or a countdown can keep skills shining into the new year.
Let us help you be the best advocate for your child. Reach out at acclaimautism.com
For more reading on this topic, please check out the following resources:
Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2014). Applied behavior analysis (2nd ed.). Pearson.
Gitimoghaddam, M., Chichkine, N., McArthur, L., Sangha, S. S., & Symington, V. (2022). Applied behavior analysis in children and youth with autism spectrum disorders: A scoping review. Perspectives on Behavior Science, 45, 521–557.Yu,
Q., Li, E., Li, L., & Liang, W. (2020). Efficacy of interventions based on applied behavior analysis for autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analysis. Psychiatry Investigation, 17(5), 432–443.
(This article offers general educational information and is not medical advice. Always consult your child’s clinicians for individualized recommendations.)
